MORE than 100 Hertfordshire Constabulary warrant cards were lost or stolen over two years, new figures have revealed.
Police officers in Hertfordshire lost 98 cards and had five stolen between April 2008 and March this year.
Only the Met and the British Transport Police had higher figures for lost or stolen cards at 451 for the Met and at 104 for the BTP, with even Greater Manchester at 102 recording a lower figure than Hertfordshire.
Essex Police told Jane’s Police Review, which conducted the survey using the Freedom of Information Act, that it did not record the number of lost or stolen warrant cards.
A Hertfordshire Constabulary spokeswoman said: "Hertfordshire Constabulary has recognised that the relatively high number of warrant card losses by officers is unacceptable and has already reviewed the relevant information security procedures to ensure a more rigorous approach is taken against those who lose their cards.
"These new procedures ensure the loss reports are submitted to senior managers and disciplinary action will be considered in relation to those who have lost their cards on more than two occasions. "We also believe that the number of losses compared with other forces may be due to the fact that we de-programme cards, which also serve as building access cards, as soon as the loss is reported, although in many instances the card is located by the officer a short while after reporting."
Across the UK, a total of 1,682 warrant cards were reported lost or stolen from 48 forces over the two years.
One hundred cards were reported stolen over the two years while the remaining 1,582 cards were recorded by forces as lost, missing or unaccounted for.
